Carmelo Anthony is not healthy and it is showing. The New York Knicks star has been battling with knee injuries since the start of the season, but has been forcing himself onto the court given how badly the Knicks season is progressing. However, playing injured is only making things worse for his long-term outlook and the Knicks know a healthy Anthony will attract free agents in the summer which is why the team has considered shutting the small forward down for a few weeks or more. Anthony told the media he has no plans on stopping.
Anthony has missed the past three games due to a sore knee as the Knicks have lost 12 straight including 22 of their last 23 games. Head coach Derek Fisher has considered shutting the star down in order for him to finally get healthy before things get worse. However, Anthony told reporters on Tuesday that he has no plans on letting that happen considering how bad things are at the moment.
"I'm all right," Anthony said, via Bleacher Report. "I'm not shutting it down for the season yet. I'm just trying to take some time to get it right. I know there's a lot of fans out there that's kind of upset or kind of down on the team, kind of down on the players right now, kind of down on the situation. But I will say that it [gets] greater later, just be patient with the team, with the organization, with the journey, with the plan, with what we're trying to create, what we're trying to accomplish."
To say the Knicks are throwing in the towel at this point in the season is a stretch, but the team is certainly starting their prep early for free agency and beyond. The first step was a trade of JR Smith and Iman Shumpert which helps free up salary and luxury tax expenses. Team president Phil Jackson was clear in say that the trade was to help change the style of the Knicks while preparing the team for a successful future.
"As our journey moves through this season, we will search for the type of players that fit the style we hope to exhibit for our fans," Jackson said in a statement. "Our desire is to improve our ability to compete. In addition, these transactions improve our flexibility to the current roster and the salary cap for future seasons."
So what is the next move for the Knicks? More trades are certainly in the works as the deadline is still over a month away. According to CBSSports.com, Jose Calderon could be the next target. The team acquired the point guard in the summer and many believe he was brought on just to be a trade target in the future. With Rajon Rondo off the market, team sources believe the Knicks will attempt to re-negotiate a deal for Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson. Players like Goran Dragic and LaMarcus Aldridge will also be on the short list of targets.
